The Sweet Life in Paris Quotes

“Parisians are always in a big hurry, but are especially frantic if they’re behind you. They’re desperate to be where they rightfully feel they belong: in front of you. It’s a whole other story when you’re behind them, especially when it’s their turn: suddenly they seem to have all the time in the world.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City

“Except a pot in French is not called a pot, but a casserole. Unless it has two handles, in which case it’s a cocotte.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“It is imperative to know the two most important words in the French language—“Bonjour, monsieur” or “Bonjour, madame”—which you absolutely must say first thing to the first person you make eye contact with. Whether you step into a shop, a restaurant, a café, or even an elevator, you need to say those words to anyone else in there with you.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“can heap on your plate! Okay, seriously, I always”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“9 ounces (250 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped 8 tablespoons (120 g) unsalted butter ⅓ cup (65 g) sugar 4 large eggs, at room temperature, separated 2 tablespoons flour Pinch of salt 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9-inch (23-cm) loaf pan and line the bottom with a strip of parchment paper. 2. In a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water, heat the chocolate and butter together just until melted and smooth. 3. Remove from heat and stir in half the sugar, then the egg yolks, and flour. (You don’t need to measure the half-quantity of sugar exactly. Just pretend you’re a Frenchwoman cooking in her home kitchen and don’t worry about it.) 4. Using an electric mixer or a whisk, begin whipping the egg whites with the salt. Keep whipping until they start to form soft, droopy peaks. Gradually whip in the remaining sugar until the whites are smooth and hold their shape when the whisk is lifted. 5. Use a rubber spatula to fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until the mixture is smooth and no visible white streaks remain. 6. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top, and bake for 35 minutes, just until the cake feels slightly firm in the center.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“frozen,”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“kickplate” in French? An assiette à coup?”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“On the rue Rambuteau, a street that cuts through the Marais, is Pain de Sucre. It’s not a drugstore, but arguably”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“marshmallows, or guimauves,”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Blé Sucré, an excellent little bakery overlooking a gorgeous square in the twelfth arrondissement.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Da Rosa for pots of Christine Ferber’s confitures and oval pats of handmade butter from Jean-Yves Bordier. She must”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“never lop off the pointy nez, the “nose,” of the cheese. This is considered terribly rude and arrogant.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“the exceptional fromagerie Laurent Dubois,”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Picard, a chain of frozen-food stores.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“But my favorite is in Provins, a small town about an hour outside of Paris. Once a week, the town center comes alive with tables and carts heaped with beautiful, locally grown fare.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“The Raspail market on Sunday and one at Batignolles on Saturday mostly feature produce grown by the local producteurs themselves: organic”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“I headed up to the twentieth arrondissement, to the highly regarded Brûlerie Jordain. (I needed little encouragement to go there, since it’s conveniently located just next door to Boulangerie 140, whose brick oven turns out some of the best bread in Paris.)”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“crêpe de sarrasin. Confusingly, sometimes buckwheat (sarrasin) is called blé noir, so if you ask for a crêpe de blé noir, they’ll understand perfectly what you’re talking about.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“crêpe is made from white flour only. If buckwheat is used, it’s usually called a galette, and”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Don’t you mean the Vierge Noire, the Black Virgin?” “Uh, yes. Isn’t that what I was talking about?” “Daveed, a verge is a penis.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“So I asked the salesclerk for a jar of confiture de groseilles, which is pronounced “gro-zay.” But with my less-than-stellar command of the language, I asked for “confiture de grosses selles” (which I pronounced as “gross sells”). The saleswoman’s jaw nearly hit the counter: I’d ordered turd jam…make that big-turd jam.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“mon slip.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“eau de Javel, that universally loved liquid developed here in 1789 that’s still dear to the French to this day.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Anyone in search of chocolate eventually makes the pilgrimage to Ladurée, the world-famous tea salon just off the place de la Madeleine.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“One major reason I live in Paris is that I can visit Poilâne any time I want. Of all the boulangeries in Paris, Poilâne is certainly the most famous, and if I’m willing to brave the city sidewalks of the Left Bank, my reward is a rustic wedge of their world-famous pain au levain cut from the large loaves of sourdough lined up in the bakery,”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“rond-point, the traffic circle that wraps around the very busy place de la Bastille.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“those immovable traffic barriers, which Parisians have nicknamed bittes (pricks).”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“bâton de compassion”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Only animals have rognons—humans have reins. And”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“One of my favorite places to buy fish, called Pêche Paris, is at the marché d’Aligre.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris